Vachellia oerfota

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A shrub or tree. It grows 1-5 m tall. When it is cut or bruised it gives a strong, unpleasant smell. The crown is flattened. There are several branches from ground level. There are spines in pairs and they are 2 cm long. The leaves are about 3 cm long. There are 3-12 pairs on pinnae with 5-15 pairs of leaflets on each. The flowers are white. They are clustered in balls of 1-3 in the axils of spines. The fruit are flat pods 5-10 cm long. They are 2.3 cm wide. The seeds are olive green. There are 5-10 seeds per pod.

There are about 1,350 Acacia species. Over 1,000 occur in Australia. Also as Mimosaceae. It is probably used as medicine.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows along river valleys. It grows below 100 mm rainfall.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Arabia, Central Africa, Chad, Djibouti, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Kenya, Middle East, North Africa, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Gum, drink

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Oldepe

Synonyms

Acacia gorinii Chiov.; Acacia nubica Benth.; Acacia oerfota (Forssk.) Schweinf.; Acacia pterygocarpa Benth.; Mimosa oerfota Forssk.